Waiting for somebody to change can be frustrating. As a leader, friend or parent, you’ve probably shared greats ideas. Encouraged them. Coached. Yet they’re still not changing, or if they are it’s far too slowly. In our mind we wonder ‘why can’t they just do it!’ When it comes to seeing change in others, we … More Waiting for change
It was only in the 1900’s that it became possible to use the word ‘priorities’. For the preceding 500 years it was simply ‘priority’. It was singular. It meant the very first thing. Something that must happen immediately prior. ∴ Do you ever have those days where you have so much to do, and you … More It’s not a priority if there are more than ONE
I learnt recently that WD-40 stands for “Water Displacement 40”. The 40 means it was his 40th attempt at developing the product. The inventor Norm Larsen had tried 39 times to find a way to displace water to stop rusting in the aerospace industry. When he finally succeeded on his 40th attempt he created a … More Could you fail 39 times?
You’ve heard the saying “Leaders are readers.” I no longer believe that is true! That’s because just reading for reading’s sake is not a healthy leadership trait. Great leaders are educators. Meaning, they are always learning. And always teaching. They do this by reading, for certain! They are also podcast listeners; video watchers; conference attenders … More Leaders are NOT readers
We no longer live in a world where everyone feels the need to always strive for perfection. As a leader and self-diagnosed perfectionist this poses some big challenges. There are no perfect decisions; more time, does not equal more right. In fact, the sooner you decide, the sooner you move forward and learn. There is … More Living with slightly embarrassing
“What did you do to get promoted?” she asked, hoping for a leadership gem. “I got lucky” I said, knowing it wasn’t the whole answer. I had just been sharing about the period of my life where I went from being a courier to a senior manager in New Zealand’s largest courier company over a … More How to get promoted!
“I hate the word failure and wish it never existed,” I stated as strongly as I could as we reflected on some past experiences. I shared that the problem with failure is its opposite seems to be pass. The problem with pass is it has a strong mental connection to school or uni, where you … More Re-framing Failure
It’s election year. This means you will hear two phrases in the media over the next 6 months. They are the terms “flip-flop” and “U-turn”. The media is exceptionally good at spotting a flip flop or U-turn in the opinion of a candidate. While keeping the politicians ‘honest’ is important, I get concerned when the … More Great Leaders Flip-Flop!
“You don’t understand,” I said partly in jest, “It has nothing to do with their fear of change. It’s ALL my own insecurities.” As soon as I heard the words leave my mouth, even though I was meaning them to bring humour, I knew they were true. I was trying to work out what my … More Letting Go
Around our house we have duties that everyone has to do each week on rotation as a part of being in the family. Then there are the tasks like mowing the lawns which I can do for free, or the kids can do for money. Of course the first question is “how much do I … More How much do I get paid?
As a kid growing up we had a black and white TV in my parents room, and a colour TV in the lounge. As you can imagine the difference when switching between the two was stunning. Equally as stunning is the difference in us when we are being black and white, compared to when we … More Choosing to be colourful
One of the things my son and I do for weekend kicks is launching ourselves down our street, which has a reasonably steep hill, on skateboards. There’s something about gaining momentum that is fun and exhilarating. And as the formula P = MV rightly points out, the bigger you are the faster you go. As … More How to build momentum
One of the first computer games I ever developed in my teens was a very simplistic helicopter game, where you would hunt out submarines and bomb them. It was simplistic for two reasons, the first of which I was learning to code, and the second because all games were clunky back then, which is what … More When to settle for good enough
As I open the door and step across the threshold, I’m struck by the sweet aroma of fresh coffee. The warmth inside contrasts the crisp air outside, as does the bustle and noise of a busy café. I glance around the café and take comfort from the fact I see no-one I know. I slide … More How to create space to think
You know when you repaint a room a different colour, and the first coat of the new fresh paint doesn’t look quite as you expected. You’re pretty sure it will be OK, but until you get the rest of the paint on you won’t know. Last week, with our annual conference looming and our strategy … More How to stop people thinking outside the box.
